Hello, my beautiful creatures! I'm in love with this idea at the moment so I hope y'all are down for a few updates every here and there. Warning though, there are some graphic stuff that isn't directly spoken about or shown but can be implied, so if you're sensitive about that kind of stuff, I would highly recommend advancing with caution. I'll change the warnings on this story as well just in case.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and let me know how you think of it so far! I'm really enjoying this idea but I don't want to put a lot of time into it if no one else seems to like it. Much love, everyone!
Ever since I was young I was told how important it was to live up to the family name. Our family line was filled with engineers, doctors, lawyers, and all those in between and I was told for years that I was supposed to fulfill the role. Live up to the name. I did so for the most part. I dedicated myself to what I was supposed to. I did well at school to the point I was on the top of the honor-roll. I was the Spring Fling Queen each year I was nominated. I was accepted into the University of California's law department with flying colors.
But I never wanted any of it.
All I ever wanted was to be was an actress. Art in general was my truest passion. I won competitions through the Arcadia Oaks Academy by my favorite teacher, Miss Janeth. She was the director of the play program and was also the art teacher. She told me that my talents were too good to go to waste. That my works were like that of a modern Da Vinci mixed with that of Frida Kahlo. It was her words that led me to believe that my art was something I could actually use to make a life for myself. That art wasn't a useless major or a meaningless way of life.
My parents still had control over my life though. They pulled me out of the theater department when they realized I was putting too much effort into that instead of my classes. They asked the school to tamper with my schedule so I didn't have my advanced art class with Miss Janeth anymore or any art classes at all for that matter. I dealt with it as long as I could, but it started to eat at me that I had no power over my own life. At sixteen, I started to rebel against it. I started sneaking out in the middle of the night with my two best friends, Darci and Mary. I started dying strips into my hair, which only caused more fights with my mother specifically, as I started messing with my clothing taste as well. But the nightly runways we would end up starting to become rather reckless. We started getting in trouble with the wrong people in the wrong places.
But if it wasn't for one of these troublesome moments than I would have never met a guy named Douxie.
He ended up becoming somewhat of a mentor to me. He was like the older brother I didn't know I needed. He got me out of my little... Rebellious rebuttals and led me down the path of using my anger against my parents into positive energy. It was him and his father who took me in basically and taught me how to use my artistic ability in a way that could give me a way of life I would enjoy.
All of which had led me to my love for tattoos.
I loved watching Merlin draw his templates and working with his clients. His artwork consisted of medieval knights and crest, but they were incredibly modern as well. They were beautiful artworks and the way that he worked the machine as if it was just an extension to himself instead of a pencil or pen fascinated me. When I saw that Douxie was the same with his own clients as well and at the age of eighteen at the time, was incredible to me. For the first time, I have showcased a job in which it didn't matter what your last name was or who you knew to make it within. It mattered on what you could. It mattered what you could create.
The only things that mattered were who you were and what you could create.
And I loved it.
So when I turned seventeen, I was able to graduate early from high school by telling my parents I wanted to just go to University already. They were excited about this fact as I knew they were just going to use it as a bragging chip with their associates. Especially my mother.
But what they didn't know was that I didn't end up going to the University of California. I went to California Insitute of the Arts instead. I was able to hide this fact from them for a year until I was eighteen. Then, I knew I was free from their power completely. So I wrote them a letter telling them what I was really doing and I got several back telling me I was going the wrong path. That I wasn't doing the right thing with my life. That I was letting my academics go to waste. Throughout all of this though, Merlin and Douxie had my back. I kept ties with my two best friends through all of this as they went on their own paths as well. They were both going to the University of California, which was how I was able to hide my admission to the institute instead, and we kept as close friends through it all.
When Merlin died though, I felt as if I had a need to finish school as soon as possible. I started taking morning and night classes with as many credits as I could get to finish my Bachelor's as soon as possible. Through all of this, I felt as if I needed to finish my degree in his name. That it was him and Douxie that allowed me to be able to be my own person. It was also around this time I stopped going by the Nuñez name and started just going by Claire Maria. My name was still legally Claire Maria Nuñez, but to anyone that mattered, I was just Claire Maria and that was all I would answer to either.
Then I got my first tattoo. I decided to make it a combination memorial to all those that made me who I am. My grandmother was the first one to teach me how to draw and taught me what it meant to be a proud Latina, so I based the first part of my sleeve in dedication to her as well as my heritage. It was my own drawing of a giant Dias de Los Muertos skull with purple accents and a large red rose headpiece. I added the words "Viva la Vida" to it to add homage to my old art teacher who only drove the passion I had that my grandmother distilled within me. Then I continued the sleeve with a Scared Heart of Mexico which was in the same color pallet as the roses that crowned the skull. The thing that made this part important was the fact that it was a drawing that Merlin had given me only six months after Douxie had introduced me to him.
"You have great potential, Claire." I looked down at the small drawing with a wide smile on my face before bringing my eyes back up to the older man. "Don't ever forget that the magic of art is the magic of humanity. That for those like us, only within art can we be our truest selves." I nodded my head in thanks to the older man. I knew he was rather emotionally distant from what Douxie would say, but he always stated that he showcased his emotions through his artwork. This meant that he truly enjoyed me as a person due to the small artwork he had now given me.
"Thank you, Merlin. Truly. I will treasure this." He gave me the smallest smile which was probably the largest one I have ever seen on his face before.
"I know you will, little Maria."
I felt a smile dance on my face as I looked down at my sleeve in the corner of my eye. I enjoyed each piece of art that took over my skin. The rose on my chest showcasing the dead dream I now could carry with me everywhere as marigold flowers helped not only to fill in the blank spaces in my sleeve but to showcase my heritage. Who I am as a person and who I will continue to be. That I will be forever whoever I want to be. Forever and always.
Throughout all of this though, I was rather content with the few friends that I had. I never carried for relationships in school outside of keeping up with my two best friends and who I dubbed my older brother. All I wanted was to take up the spot that Mystical Inks that Douxie had given me and fill the world with all the art I could.
Well, until I met him at the very least.
His blue eyes were a shade I don't think anyone could match or words could even describe correctly. They were as dark as sapphires but as detailed as a freshly cut lazulis. His skin was pale but not in a sickly sense. Dark brown messy hair made it seem as if he was in between giving a shit about what he looked like while also simultaneously not. I could tell that he worked within the flower shop I found myself in by how his grey apron had the store's bright blue and red logo on the front with a small black and silver name tag being clipped to the right side of it. I could tell he was nervous by his lopsided grin and his anxious expression, but he had this boyish charm to him that I couldn't help but feel pulled toward. He was tall and rather scrawny but there was obviously a little bit of muscle to him as well. Like he was in between incredibly geeky and jock like.
God, you describe people like you're in high school still. Pull your shit together, Claire.
He stuttered and tripped over his words at first, but he managed to get his words out with relative ease in comparison to most people that I've spoken to.
"I see that you're enjoying our sunflowers over here. Is there anything I can help you with when it comes to them?" I looked back toward the sunflowers that I was looking at as I realized why I was even there in the first place once again.
"I'm looking for a new muse." I scanned my eyes over the flowers as I was seemingly reminding myself as of why I even came into the flower shop in the first place.
"You've got a customer looking for one of your famous floral patterns from your portfolio on your part of the website. They want a unique twist to it for a forearm piece. Think you can handle that?" I gave Douxie a smirk as I pulled my eyes away from the moral I was painting in what is now my side of the studio.
"Honestly, I was hoping for my first customer here to be more of a challenge."
"That's my little sister! Get ready to kick ass tomorrow then!"
I closed my eyes for a moment as I realized that what I said could have been really awkward without context. "Oh." I turned my head toward the taller man with one what Douxie calls my 'softy smiles' to make sure I didn't weird out the nervous enough worker. "I should probably explain myself. I'm a tattoo artist. I just got a new apprenticeship at the parlor next door and a lot of my customers enjoy my floral designs so I'm looking for something to use for new ideas." His eyes widened for a moment as he seemed to put together pieces to a puzzle within his mind.
"Wait, you're Douxie's apprentice?"
"You know my boss?" I felt a genuine smile appear on my face as I crossed my arms over my chest. I watched as a lopsided grin took place on his face as he placed his hands in his jeans pockets under his apron.
"You'll love Jim. He works at the flower shop next door. His mom runs the place. He does all the flower deliveries so you should meet him Wednesday when we get our normal basket bouquet from them. I've known the little bugger nearly my whole life so I'll let you know now that he might be a little nervous at first. Just give him a little bit of time, alright?" I gave Douxie a small nod before he continued. "Wonderful! You two will hit it off, I promise."
My smile further as he started to speak of how he had grown up with Douxie, just as the older man had said himself.
So this is the infamous James Lake Junior? The one that Douxie would jokingly call his "Little Atlas" whenever he spoke of him in high school. I never understood how I never met him before. Douxie would always speak highly about his two best friends, Toby and Jim, but he never introduced me to them. Probably for the best, honestly. I wasn't in the best place in life when I met Douxie and if it wasn't for him and Merlin, I probably still would be that punk little kid thinking the world was against her.
"He was talking about you the other day actually. Your name's Claire, right?"
"That would be me." I dropped my hands from being crossed over my chest so I could place them on my hips. "You must be Jim then. Douxie talked about you as well."
"Douxie said you two went to school together." I watched him tilt his head slightly as he let his right hand drop to his side. "How haven't I met you before then?" I gave me a soft giggle before pulling my eyes away from him for a moment.
"Claire Maria Nuñez, you get back here!"
"For what? To get punished for spending a night in holding? Don't you think I suffered enough?"
"You vandalized your Spanish teacher's truck!"
"Asshole deserved it! He almost hit me!"
"With a bat? And each of his tires being slashed before you spraypainted a-?"
I shook my head slightly, hopefully, it went unnoticed by the taller man beside me.
God, I was fucked up back then.
"Let's just say I was a troublesome kid a few years back. A very rebellious girl that thought she knew what was best for her all the time. If I were you, I would be happy you're meeting me now instead of back then." When I brought my eyes back to him, I gave a small smirk before turning the question back toward him. "What about you?" He gave a small chuckle before looking down at his tennis shoes as if they were the most entertaining thing within the room.
He's dorky. In a cute and endearing way, though.
"I was kind of a help-o-holic, as my best friend would state." When he brought his eyes back up to me, they seemed to shine in the sunlight streaming from the windows behind me which almost caused me to lose my mind a little by just how blue they truthfully were. "I would help my mom here after school normally, but if I wasn't here I was at my uncle's auto shop down the road. My normal day was wake up, go to school, come here and do homework during my downtime, go home, eat, shower, sleep, and then repeat the next day." He shrugged as he finished the small description. "My two best friends had to legit pull me away from the stores to get me to hang out with them every now and again."
"Seems it was with good reason though." He laughed a little at my response as a small smile danced on his lips afterward.
"Yeah, I guess so." I found myself smiling lightly as I just looked back into his eyes while his laugh re-played itself within my head.
Damn. He's nothing like any of the guys I was interested in during my high school years. Probably a good thing, actually. Though I never dated any of them, it was probably a good thing nothing came out of them. They were normally assholes or punks with a little too much aggression for my liking.
But he's, soft. I don't know how to describe it. He's gentle as if he could never harm anyone or anything even if he tried but the small amount of muscle that was on his exposed biceps told me otherwise. He still had a small amount of baby cheeks, but his jaw was firm. His eyes were probably my favorite thing about him so far. Followed closely by his soft laugh.
Standing here before him and connecting all the stories Douxie would say about him along with just how truly endearing the taller young man is makes me hate a little that I haven't met him till now.
But all tender moments have to come to end as my favorite song from Papa Skull started playing.
God damn it.
I slipped my phone out of my back pocket as I noticed it was Douxie himself calling so I flashed Jim an apologetic smile before accepting the call.
"Hey, Boss. What's up?" I looked over to Jim to see he was giving me a soft smile in turned as if to say he didn't mind as Douxie's voice came through on the other line.
"Hey, don't call me that until you start your first actual shift." He gave a small chuckle before he continued. "I was wondering actually if you can take a client for me? The one I'm working with right now is taking a little longer than I anticipated and I don't want to leave him half done when my next client shows up. He just wants a lion anyway and the stencil is already set up if you don't mind."
"Yeah, I'm right next door anyway. I'll make my way over in a few then."
"Wonderful! You're a life-safer, Claire!"
"It's no big deal."
"I'll see you soon then!"
"Okay, see you soon." I slipped the phone back into my back pocket of my skinny jeans as soon as the call had ended with a soft smile still dancing on my lips. "Sorry about that."
"Oh, it's no big deal. As someone that's always getting a call from either one of my bosses, I completely understand." He slipped his hands into his apron pockets as a curious look took over his face. "But aren't you going to go head over?" I gave him a large smile as I glanced back down at the roses behind me. They had caught my attention when I first walked in but I wasn't sure if I wanted to stick with just a common flower for my next design. But as I looked down at the deep blue roses that were near the edge as my eyes glanced back toward the blue-eyed boy, I felt a new spark of creativity surge within me.
"Well, even though I have enough ideas in my mind to draw for probably ages now, I'm not one to leave until I finished what I wanted." I picked up a single blue rose before bringing my attention completely back toward him. "I'll take one of these, if you may." The rest of the interaction floated easily between us as I bought the rose and then started making my way toward the tattoo parlor next door. But as I carried the rose in my hand, all I could think about was how close in color a certain flower boy's eyes were to the deep royal shade of the rose's pedals.
We had small interactions thereafter. Once at the tattoo parlor when he dropped off what I know now as Douxie's normal basket delivery and another when my old mustang decided to be a little shit while I was trying to make it home. Well, home is more like Douxie's and Merlin's old house that the later is still letting crash at until I have enough means to support myself, but it was home nonetheless.
But I never got to actually get to know the blue-eyed flower shop employee even though it was really starting to bug me that I never really got to see him that often.
Douxie really was right. That boy will basically work himself to death if you allow him to.
I smiled at the thought as I started cleaning up my station as my last client made his way out the door. I pulled off my black latex gloves after cleaning my tattooing gun as said Englishmen made his way into my studio.
"Got any plans for tonight, Claire?" I shrugged as I looked over to the clock hanging on the wall. It was only eight and the night was still fairly young, but I didn't have any idea what I was going to do with the rest of my Saturday.
"Not even sure what I'm going to do after we close, honestly." A wide smile appeared on the older tattoo artist as he crossed his arms over his chest before leaning against the wall beside him.
"How about this then? I'm performing with my old band at a small dive place. I know you don't enjoy that scene anymore, but I know Jim and Toby will be there if you want to hang out with all of us after the performance." I swallowed dryly a little as I remembered the exact reason I stopped going to little thrash raids and dive parties like Douxie was describing.
"Get off of her!"
"She looks out of it man! Just leave her alone!"
"She's my girlfriend, she's fine."
"Last I knew the chick came alone you fucking prick. Now leave her alone!"
"I don't know Doux. I would love to see you play again, but-" My words came to a halt as the flashes of bright lights and faded whispers flooded my mind. I screwed my eyes shut for a moment as I shook away the fading memories.
"Well, if you change your mind, Toby and Little Atlas will be meeting up with me at the house before we all head to the show together." He gave me a soft smile before looking over my little station seeing that it was still in dire need of tidying up. "You can lock up, right?" I nodded my head as I flashed him a determined smile.
"Most definitely. Don't let me hold you here if you got a show to get ready for. I should be done here within thirty minutes so I should be home an hour before you head out." He gave me a small nod in reply as he started heading toward the front doors and with that, I went back to cleaning my station. Suddenly though, he turned on his heels and started speaking to me again.
"Claire, you won't be going alone by the way. It won't end up like last time. I know I wouldn't let anything happen to you and neither would Jim. I know I can't talk you into it, but you can't just stop doing what you love all because one asshole tried to ruin it for you. It might be a good step to recovery anyway." I gave him a soft smile as he gave a toothy grin in reply. "So think about it, ya? I know the boys would love to spend some time with you anyway." He gave a small smirk before turning toward the door and opening it. "Jim specifically." I felt a small blush creep on my face as Douxie exited the store and left me to my own thoughts about the idea. I looked down at my ink bottles I was putting away before looking back up to now the closed front door of the parlor.
I'm seriously not thinking about going to the show all because Douxie is saying that a certain boy will be there, right? The last time I went to one I-. I-.
I shook my head slightly as I put my ink bottles back into their spots before fixing my stencils on the left side of my station.
It's been three years, Claire, and you still can't seem to even think about the word. Maybe Douxie's right. Maybe this could be a good step in the right direction.
Or am I just agreeing because a certain mechanically inclined flower boy will be there? Does it really matter at this point though?
I sighed as I already knew that my mind had made up its decision. For better or worse.
I guess I should go get ready for a concert then.
"Aren't you looking spiffy?" I flashed Douxie a large smile as I was fixing my black leather jacket sleeves so that they sat on my forearms. A white v-neck with a black skull on it gave homage to one of my favorite sweaters I had in high school as the name 'Hamlet' was scrawled in cursive underneath it. Blue skinny jeans with rips going along the front of them as old combat boots covered my feet.
"Spiffy or like I'm about to kick some ass?" A smirk appeared on my friend's face as I noticed he was wearing a plain black t-shirt, dark grey jeans, and his normal black vans. It wasn't often that Douxie showcased his arms but when he did it showed the medieval-based artworks that he had upon both of them. I knew from the drawings Merlin used to have on his walls that they were based on his creations with Douxie's own twist to it. A knight with a large sword was showcased on his left forearm but instead of just a normal helmet being placed on the figure's head, it showcased a skull with a crown of thorns wrapped around his head. It was probably my favorite art piece from both of his sleeves since the rest of the art pieces weren't as highly detailed or as colorful as the Arthurian looking knight, but that didn't mean that his sleeves seemed out of place due to it. But I was pulled out of my thoughts as he spoke again.
"Kick some ass, most definitely. Does this mean you decided to join us?"
"You were right. Maybe this could be a good step for me. So, as Merlin would say, it's about time for me to take control of the situation and turn it into my own." His smirk turned into a large smile on his face as it caused the scar that he had on his left cheek to dance up to his dirty brown eyes. The look of happiness on his face made my mind dance into the memory of when we had first officially met.
"Are you alright there, mate? You seem a little off." I shot a glare at the man-bun wearing guitarist as he leaning against the counter of the dive spots little bar. No one ID-ed anyone here so it was the only place I could find that would give me the liquid courage that allowed me to forget my worries within the world. To forget about my parent's high expectations or what had happened to me not even six months beforehand.
"How about you mind your business, mate?" This only caused a large smile to appear on his face as he extended his hand.
"I mean no harm to you. I promise. The names Douxie Casperan. Nice to meet you. What's yours?"
"Claire."
"No last name?"
"This is the only place I have where that doesn't matter so why use it now?" The guitarist leaned against the counter with his right elbow as I slipped my own hand into his extended one.
"Escaping something, eh? Not the greatest place to do that. There's some fucked up people here, love. Don't need you getting taken advantage of."
"I can handle myself."
"I never said you couldn't." This caused me to give the taller dark-haired boy a once over. He looked about my age. Maybe a little older but he seemed to genuinely care about my well-being as a simple smile took over his face. If only I knew then how much he would mean to me within the coming years or how he would influence my life. Maybe then I would have treated him a bit better but it started a beautiful friendship nonetheless.
"I knew you wouldn't let this hold you down. Nothing takes out Claire Maria, that's for sure." I gave him a large smile as I walked past him as he was leaning against my bedroom doorframe.
"Well, you might be right but let's get going before I start second-guessing myself." He followed after me toward the front door, grabbing his guitar case that was leaning against the main entryway of the house before getting out his keys to lock up. As I exited the house, I was welcomed to the sight of who I knew was Douxie's other friend Toby leaning against the hood of the older man's muscle black and white car. He was a bit on the shorter side with him probably being around a few inches shorter than me but he oozed this sort of confidence that seemed to didn't give a damn about his height or the obvious slight chubbiness he had. His red hair was a bit on the longer side but wasn't as messy as I thought it would have been. In my personal opinion, he seemed a little overdressed to be going to a dive spot concert with his tan dress shirt and black khakis, but to each their own honestly.
"The infamous Claire! Wonderful to meet ya! I'm Tobias, but you can call me Toby." He extended his right hand toward me with a large smile with his blue and white braces showing with ease. He just had this childish aura to him as he spoke that kind of removed that confident personality that I had initially given to him.
"Nice to meet you as well." I gave him a smile as I accepted his hand in the small shake. We let go of each other's hands as a familiar voice made itself known to us.
"Glad to see you're cool to join us." I looked over to see that Jim was wearing a leather-like jacket that was in a varsity style with a simple white t-shirt underneath paired with what seemed to be simple black jeans. His motorcycle helmet was tucked under his arm even though it looked rather uncomfortable holding the horned object but he made it seem like he was in his element to a certain degree. He seemed a lot more confident beside his friends than he was when we had first met or when we talked in those few passing occasions.
"Trust me," I felt a hand place itself on my right shoulder as Douxie's voice came from my right side. "It took a little convincing, but I believe it'll be worth it for her. Don't you agree?" Jim gave a lopsided smile with a small nod as his eyes kept themselves on mine. They seemed to be lighter within the streetlamp lights as they looked like that of a soft cobalt blue. It was then I noticed the small scar that slashed through his right eyebrow as well as the scar that danced from across his nose and to his left cheek. It made me wonder how such a kind man could accompany scars as such. I knew from Douxie that they could come from bullying situations, but for Jim, he seemed too sweet to have been victim to discrimination. Too loving from what I could gather. But my thoughts were pulled away from him as Toby made his voice known.
"So how are we heading there? I know we normally bring two vehicles just in case so who's driving what?" Jim shrugged as he presented his bike helmet into both of his hands.
"I can take someone on my bike if they want? I kind of just want to ride there anyway."
"We can take my car then as well if we're doing it that way. My little two-seater doesn't normally get used in our adventures anyway." Toby gave a large smile toward Douxie and me as he gestured between him and Jim. "Who's riding with who then, you two?" I glanced over to Douxie who gave me a small smirk before speaking himself.
"I'll take a ride with you, Tobes. If you don't mind. I need a place to put my guitar anyway."
"Cool! I'll lead the way then. You two okay with that?" Jim and I gave them simple nods as they walked over to what I saw now was a small red car with a single set of doors. When I brought my eyes back to Jim, he was gesturing with his right hand toward the old fashion army bike that wasn't too far away beside him.
"Ladies first." I gave him a soft grin as I made my way past him and toward the motorcycle. I noticed then that he had planned in advance for someone to ride along with him with a spare navy blue motorcycle helmet already presenting itself on the leather seat. I grabbed it without hesitation and slipped it onto my head but I had never messed with one of these types of helmets before so I started to struggle a little with the chin strap. "Here, let me help." I turned my body toward Jim who had placed his helmet onto the gas tank of the bike so that he could lend a helping hand. His approach was gentle as his fingers seemingly danced along the chin strap which caused them to graze gently against my skin. I felt a blush occur on my face as I watched his face through the black visor of the helmet. He bit his lower lip in concentration as if he was worried that setting the strap right was going to harm me in some way. Once he clipped the strap into place, he gave a large toothy grin in triumph. "There we go." He grabbed his helmet and slipped it on with ease before clicking it in place. He got onto the motorcycle as if he had been doing the action his own life before presenting his left hand to help me onto it. I took his hand gently before swinging my leg over the backside of the bike and sitting right behind him. As he dropped his from mine I instinctively wrapped my arms around his waist which caused the taller man to jump slightly at the sudden touch. I could help but smile at it though as the bike came to life with a simple roar.
Scars, an army motorcycle, but still seemingly soft and fragile. I think I could get used to him.
It wasn't long afterward that we were able to start following Toby and Douxie within the little red two-seater and I started to get truly comfortable on the back of the bike. My chin resting itself firmly on Jim's shoulder as we road through the street and towards the small hole in the wall bar that Douxie was performing at. The faint smell of roses and dandelions coming from the flower shop worker as my arms kept themselves wrapped around his middle while a soft smile danced on my lips still.
I could get used to him indeed.